Refurbished Dell Inspiron 15r Core i7 (2nd Gen) and 1GB DISCRETE DEDICATED VIDEO from $500+tax shipped (various configs)

Right now Dell is running some coupons for their Home Outlet systems, as follows (taken from the Dell Outlet on Twitter):

Save 15% on any Dell Outlet Home laptop or desktop priced up to $499! Enter 7NXRMH0XBJQTVK

Save 20% on any Dell Outlet Home laptop or desktop priced between $500 & $999! Enter H?CCPDKVL3TCLD

Save 25% on any Dell Outlet Home laptop or desktop priced at $1,000 and up! Enter ZTM036LFBP5?2V

These codes are supposed to be good through 8/21 but they usually expire faster as uses hit their limit (generally 2,000 uses).

Copy the second code listed above (H?CCPDKVL3TCLD) for 20% off purchases between $500 & $999, you'll be pasting this in at the checkout page. Now go to the Dell Home Outlet page located here: Dell Home Outlet, from this page look on the left side for Other Ways to Shop then click the link directly below that for 'Check Availability & Pricing for all Laptops'.

The Inspiron 15r with 2nd gen Core i7 and discrete dedicated video cards are what we're looking for, but there's a trick; on the left side of the main outlet page listed under NARROW YOUR SELECTION are various check boxes to select preferred options- if you go down the list to 'Graphics Card' and check off the box for '1GB Dedicated Graphics' these systems WILL NOT SHOW! Here's how you find the diamonds in the rough:

Under NARROW YOUR SELECTION click ONLY 'Inspiron 15R - N5110' then go to the top of the page and Sort By: Price (High to Low). Now check availability for units with NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M - N12P-GE 1GB (Quad), make sure this option appears as there are also units with 512MB discrete video and integrated HD3000 video (see my first screen grab attached to this post). Currently they only have high configs available (1TB hard drives and 8GB RAM) but I've seen units with drives as small as 320GB and RAM as low as 4GB (and prices as low as $529 BEFORE coupon!). If the config you're interested in isn't available, try setting your alarm clock for 4AM (Central Time) as this seems to be the time Dell refreshes inventory most often and the least amount of shoppers are online browsing. In my first screen grab you'll see that current systems with 1GB discrete video range from $639 to $749, the lowest priced systems are Scratch & Dent; pricing out a S&D system with 1TB and 8GB RAM with the coupon came to $511.20 + tax ($31.95 for me, I'm in Illinois) for a total of $543.15 with free shipping. The detailed configuration is listed in the second two screen grabs attached to this post. The systems with 1GB discrete video ALSO have integrated Intel HD3000 video (with Optimus), if you get a unit with Intel Centrino wireless they will also have Intel Wireless Display capability (you'll need to download the drivers and software separately from the Intel site and get an adapter like the Netgear Push2TV to use this functionality). Keep in mind Intel WiFi capabilty is pretty much restricted to 2nd gen and later laptop Core i7's; the first gen i7 laptops with discrete video DIDN'T have integrated video included (there wasn't room on the die to include the graphics chip).

This is BY FAR the best deal I've found on i7 laptops with discrete video- the video card has 1GB DDR3 VRAM and the Passmark rating for it is 587, not the fastest unit in the world but still a far better performer than integrated video and capable of light gaming. I purchased two of these units back in early July (both S&D), the first with a 750GB 7200 RPM drive 6GB RAM & Bluetooth 3.0 came to $497.50 shipped (including tax), the second with 500GB 5400RPM drive and 8GB RAM (no bluetooth) came to $454 shipped. Both were in excellent shape (the scratches were confined to the lids, which on this model is quick changeable and replacements are cheap on eBay) and are lightning fast.

PROTIP

When ordering pay with a Debit Card through Paypal; PayPal will not pull the money from the linked account until the day (and time) that the system is delivered and signed for.

PROTIP: Don't pay for anything on the internet with a debit card.

can this be stacked with this http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/1212998/

I've gotten a couple PMs requesting more info about installing Intel Wireless Display on these laptops, I'll post everything I can here in the interest of the community. Intel WiDi is useful for streaming video and general internet surfing from your laptop to your HDMI equipped TV, it's really no good for gaming because there is quite a bit of lag involved. I generally use it to stream video downloaded from iTunes to the TV in the living room, I also use it to show photos to friends and family rather than have them crowd around a computer. Intel WiDi DOES NOT require a wireless network in your home; only a laptop (or desktop) with an Intel Centrino Wireless card, an approved WiDi TV adapter, and an HDMI equipped TV.

First of all, Intel WiDi WILL ONLY WORK WITH INTEL CENTRINO WIRELESS CARDS, so be sure the unit you order has one if you are interested in this feature. Currently listed available units show the Intel Centrino N 1030, which will work fine, but one of the units I purchased in July has the Dell DW1702 wireless-bluetooth combo card which will NOT work because it is Atheros based, not Intel (I ordered this purposely to get more compatibility for Hackintoshing).
Since that fact is clear, here is the Intel Link for System Requirements:
Intel WiDi System Requirements
Supported cards are:
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1000, 1030, 2200, or 2230
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 2200 for Desktop
Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6200, 6205, 6230, or 6235
Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6205 for Desktop
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N + WiMAX 6150
Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N + WiMAX 6250
Intel® Centrino® Ultimate-N 6300
MAKE SURE THE UNIT YOU ORDER SHOWS ONE OF THESE CARDS IN THE CONFIGURATION IF YOU WANT WIDI CAPABILITY

The main Intel page for Wireless Display is linked here:
Main Intel Page

The official Intel Instruction page for Wireless Display install is linked here:
Instructions page

Individual driver links are available on that page by scrolling down to the Install Order section and clicking on the small blue plus sign (+) next to the install order number, however I'll be linking the individual drivers below to make life easier. Also, the HD3000 driver linked on that instruction page is not the latest, so I've used the latest link below.

One major Caveat here; personally when I get laptops from Dell the first thing that I do is completely erase them and do a new, clean install of Windows 7. Since most people will NOT be doing that, you MAY run into issues unique to your situation- it would be best to post those here rather than PMing me with them so that the whole FW community can get the benefit of troubleshooting miscellaneous issues. Having said that, the drivers I'll be linking here are the latest versions and will almost certainly be newer and supersede the drivers installed on the laptop you receive from Dell, so issues should be minimal.

Installation order is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, so install the drivers in this order:
1) Intel ProSet drivers
2) HD3000 Video drivers
3) Intel WiDi drivers
4) (Optional) Intel WiDi Widget

INSTALLATION LINKS AND INSTRUCTIONS

1) MAKE SURE TO CREATE A SYSTEM RESTORE POINT BEFORE DOING ANY OF THIS.
That way if things get bolloxed up (or you're just not happy with the way it works) you can revert to a good configuration. You can create a Restore Point by clicking on the Start button (lower left corner of your desktop) and then in the Search programs and files box type 'create a restore point'. System Restore instructions are also available here by typing 'system restore'. Familiarize your self with this process BEFORE you begin, it's for YOUR benefit.

The following ProSet driver link works specifically with the Intel Centrino N 1030 card (among others) which seems to be the most common wireless card used in this model, if you have a different card double check that this driver is compatible with your card; if your card is not listed as compatible at the bottom of the driver download page here is the link to the Intel Download Center, you'll need to search for your specific card here:
Intel Download Center

2) Intel Proset
download the driver package from here:
ProSet Driver Download Link
There are four download links on that page, you will want the fourth file download link (Wireless_15.1.1_s64.exe)
Download and install this driver, Typical Installation should work for most people but if you like you can use Custom Installation, just make sure to install ALL features as you will need them for WiDi. If the driver wants to overwrite files presently on your laptop, let it. When it's done installing reboot your system.

3) Intel HD3000 Video
download the driver package from here:
HD3000 Video Driver
This is the latest Intel version of the driver and will certainly be newer than the version existing on your laptop. Download and install it, again if the driver wants to overwrite files let it. When it's done installing reboot your system.

4) Intel Wireless Display Driver
download the package from here:
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&ProdId=32...
Install this driver and reboot your system, it should place an Intel WiDi shortcut on your desktop. If your WiDi installation has been successful you will also have the following items installed on your system:

a) open your Control Panel (Start -> Control Panel) then select System & Security, then Device Manager, then click on 'Network Adapters'. You should be showing AT LEAST three; Centrino Wireless-N 1030, Microsoft Virtual Wifi Miniport Adapter, and Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter (2)

b) again from Control Panel select Network & Internet, then select Network & Sharing Center; below that (in small print) click on 'View Network Status & Tasks', then from the left side click on 'Change Adapter Settings'. In the window that opens you should have AT LEAST three entries- Wireless Network Connection, Wireless Network Connection 2 (Microsoft Virtual Wifi Miniport Adapter), and Wireless Network Connection 3 (Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter (2)). You will probably also show 'Local Area Network' (that's your hard wired ethernet port) and may show 'Bluetooth Network Connection' if you have Bluetooth, there may also be other stuff there as well; but for Intel WiDi the important thing is that you're showing the two entries for Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter. If you're NOT showing these entries (in both places, Device Manager and Network & Sharing) your WiDi ain't gonna work. Generally reinstalling the Wireless Display Driver package will solve this, if you need to do this allow the driver to overwrite ALL existing files and be sure to reboot the system before continuing.

5) OPTIONAL Intel WiDi Widget
This will place a widget on your desktop allowing you to automatically detect available Wireless Display adapters in range, I personally do not use it (or need it) because WiDi adapters aren't that common and it uses resources, but if you want to try it you can uninstall it if you don't like it and uninstalling shouldn't affect your overall WiDi install.
Download the application package here:
Intel WiDi Widget

Now that you have the software installed on your laptop you will need an adapter to hook to your HDMI equipped TV to link your laptop. Intel has three approved models:
Belkin ScreenCast* TV Adapter
NETGEAR Push2TV* HD Adapter
D-Link DHD-131* TV Adapter

Personally I use the Netgear Push2TV and am very happy with it, but I'll give you what info I have on all three;

Belkin ScreenCast* TV Adapter
I know nothing about these adapters and they seem to be QUITE expensive, best current price on Google Shopping is $59.99 from eBay then jumps to $90+ from a bunch of no name internet retailers. Not recommended unless someone can provide a link to a trusted source with a price below $50.

D-Link DHD-131* TV Adapter
Best current price is a refurb unit from a place called Digitalet, price is $49.99 shipped, reseller ratings seem solid for these folks;
Digitalet Link (refurb $49.99)
Next best price on Google Shopping is for new units and jumps to over $100, so again Not Recommended unless someone can provide a link for $50 or less (or if you're a REALLY hard core D-Link fan).

NETGEAR Push2TV* Adapter
Netgear actually has two models of this adapter, the Push2TV (PTV1000) which displays 720p and the Push2TVHD (PTV2000) which displays in full 1080P. I use the PTV1000 because I don't currently have a 1080P laptop and I don't really need anything better, so I'm providing links to that version. If you want the 1080P PTV2000 version this is where you're going to start doing your own legwork.

I've personally dealt with both of the retailers below and they've both been reliable:

Push2TV PTV1000 OPEN BOX (probably used) $18.49 + shipping (came to $23 and change for me) from techforless.com
Techforless.com Link
WiDi for basically what Best Buy would charge you for a standard HDMI cable. If you're a REAL CHEAPO this may be the way to go.

For folks looking for a bit more peace of mind, beach camera (via Buy.com) has brand new units (one year warranty) for $39.99 shipped:
Beach Camera Link (via Buy.com)

They are also commonly available on eBay at $40 or less for new units and less for used units.

So there you go, have fun & good luck!

In 4 1 with identical specs to the screen shots. I followed the OP's instructions exactly, and all went perfectly. My total incl. tax is $538.86. I think that this is a VERY good price, and too wonder why it isn't getting more yak. I have bought from the Dell outlet before, and the previous product was excellent and very well priced.

BTW, went to the external website for the $300 + $50 gift card deal, but the site implied that there could be a wait of approx. 48 hours for e-delivery of the gift card. I didn't do it because I didn't want to miss out on the lappy deal. Thanks again, OP and all!

nquinn said:   Is the code not working for anyone else?

Trying to use the 20% off, but it keeps saying: "The following coupons have been entered but require additional information or do not meet eligibility requirements. Click "View Details" link(s) for more information."

I'm attempting to buy an inexpensive i3/i5 desktop in the $500 range.

Why buy an i3 or i5 when you can buy an i7 for the same price? Just follow the OP's instructions and you will get one with the coupon! Best of Luck!

New stock added, instead of 1TB hard drive also available with 320GB hard drive at $629 before coupon (no scratch & dent, only certified refurb). Price will be $503 + tax after coupon.

hashpile said:   Fantastic deal. Got an Inspiron 15R - 5520 with Intel Core i7-3612QM for $559.20 + tax.

SWEET. Also 3rd Gen Core i5, 1TB hard drive, 8GB RAM, & bluetooth $415.20 plus tax after coupon (screen caps config 1&2).
Also added stock 2nd gen core i7, 750GB 7200RPM drive 8GB RAM 1GB discrete video $511.20 plus tax after coupon (screen caps config 3&4).
i7 is Certified Refurb, not even Scratch & Dent! Lotsa good deals to be had with these coupons!

hashpile said:   Drouo said:   I'm unclear as to why there isn't more attention being drawn to this?


Seriously.. my 3rd gen i7 was a 'Dell Outlet New'. And I can still see a 'Dell Outlet New' 3rd gen i5 for less than $500 before taxes.

(For gamers on a budget)
I guess 525m might be a bit underpowered for some. I have used it before and I prefer my 7670m (which is suppose to be only a little bit stronger.).
I would suggest spending (or just researching) a little bit more and get at least 550m or 6600/7600 series cards.

DreamWalker66 said:   hashpile said:   Drouo said:   I'm unclear as to why there isn't more attention being drawn to this?


Seriously.. my 3rd gen i7 was a 'Dell Outlet New'. And I can still see a 'Dell Outlet New' 3rd gen i5 for less than $500 before taxes.

(For gamers on a budget)
I guess 525m might be a bit underpowered for some. I have used it before and I prefer my 7670m (which is suppose to be only a little bit stronger.).
I would suggest spending (or just researching) a little bit more and get at least 550m or 6600/7600 series cards.

Research is always a sound suggestion; I'll start here. What are the specs and brand of your laptop with the 7670m, and how much did you pay for it?

Pulled the trigger on the 2ND Gen-i7, 8GB memory, 1GB dedicated video card and 500GB HDD (500RPM) for ~535 w/tax. I was looking for the 750RPM HDD but couldn't locate one. I guess the last 1 got sold. Oh well, hello SSD : )

Here's a great deal that needs to be bumped, thanks OP.

Can't find one under $699... FW effect?

I also ordered a S&D unit, but the order confirmation shows "configure to order." Go figure....

I ordered my i7 2nd Gen + 1tb 5400 rpm + 1gb video card + 8gb ram on Sunday early morning for 511$, 541 w/ tax.

Is this a good deal? (Just kidding)

Yup, looking like all the meat got picked off the bones and nothing much worth it is there right now.

Still see some decent deals there.

Inspiron 15R - 5520 (Certified Refurbished)

Processor: Intel Core 3rd Generation i7-3612QM Processor (6MB Cache, up to 3.1 GHz)
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium
Dell Outlet Inspiron 15R - 5520
1 TB SATA II Hard Drive (5400RPM)
8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory (2x4, 1600MHz)
8X Tray Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
Intel® HD Graphics 4000

$659 before 20% coupon.

Hey guys, just made my 15r N5110 purchase. I tried to save some money so I got an i5/750gb HDD/6gb ram. My total came out to be ~$390 after tax and everything.

northwest said:   can this be stacked with this http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/1212998/
I actually stacked the deal and it worked. It did not take 48hrs to deliver like MrLincoln said. I used the email option and it promised delivery within 24 hours. I ordered a $300 eGift Card at 10am and received the $300 eGift Card along with a promotional $50 one in an hour and a half later at around 11:30am. I spoke to a Dell representative online and they told me I was able to use 2 gift cards and 1 debit/credit card to complete a purchase. BUT the catch is, you can only do this over the phone or online chat with a sales rep. If you try to check out by yourself, it will only allow you to use 1 gift card and 1 debit/credit card. If you guys want to go ahead and save another $50, this is it. Keep in mind, your results may vary.

Just got one like the OP described for 536 shipped. it was 511 before tax I believe. Good luck to you all.

Just click the fatwallet link I quote or click here:
https://dell.cashstar.com/gift-card/buy/?
So on the right hand side, there's a tiny box that says something along the lines of give $300 and get $50. Just send yourself $300 and you'll get $50 too.

Just to let everyone know, this deal is supposed to end tomorrow (8/21) and eGift Cards are nonrefundable once delivered. So don't buy the eGift Card and then have the deal end on you because then you'll be stuck with the card.

Had mine a week now and I'm very happy with it. Found that many drivers (for 7 components) were out of date including the nvidia drivers so you might want to do some updating.